Electronic, interactive program guides have become useful tools in helping television viewers identify programs they wish to watch. These guides, sometimes referred to as EPGs or IPGs, display programming items according to their broadcast time, channel, or other criteria. EPGs are widely available on different platforms, including on set top boxes, typically used with the provision of cable or satellite television services, on personal computers or mobile devices, and on the web as pages available from a web server. Yahoo!, Inc., the assignee of the present application, is the provider of one such web-based EPG application, available currently at www.tv.yahoo.com. Other EPG providers in various platforms include Gemstar TV Guide International, Scientific Atlanta, Echostar, TiVo, and Tribune Media Services.
Although other arrangements are used, a typical EPG is arranged in a grid with time on one axis and channels along a second axis perpendicular to the time axis. Program items are usually displayed by title within the grid, with the titles and many other attributes of the programs being stored in a database either on a computerized device (such as the step top box) local to the user or on a server accessible over a network such as the Internet. The user navigates the EPG grid by selecting buttons on a remote control, keys on a keyboard, or by moving a mouse. Depending on the particular user interface design, the user moves a cursor around the grid to a desired program item, moves the grid relative to a fixed cursor or highlight until a desired program item is displayed in the fixed cursor, or moves a floating cursor to the desired program item. The user may then select the program item to view more information about the program or select the program for immediate or deferred viewing or recording.
Due to practical display limitations, the EPG user interface only shows a limited amount of time intervals on a given screen, starting, typically, with the current time and showing the next two-three hours of programming. If a user wants to see programming available at different times, he or she continues to navigate backwards or forwards through time using the same techniques for navigating within the grid itself. For example, in the case of a moving cursor, the user would navigate the cursor to the end of the time axis in the grid, then continue navigation in the time direction, which brings on the next screen with additional time intervals and program items. In the case of the fixed cursor and moving grid, the user continues on to different time periods by simply continuing to navigate in the time direction and having those time periods scroll onto the display screen. In addition, some EPGs allow a user to input characters representing a specific time period and respond by displaying the program items available at the selected time period.
Given the increasing number of channels and program choices available to viewers, improved methods of more easily and quickly navigating through EPG data are desired. This is particularly the case since many more viewers are availing themselves of personal video recorders, such as those available from TiVo, Digeo, or many cable or satellite system operators, since viewers then have a keen interest in locating programs to record even if they are scheduled to air days or weeks in the future. The present invention provides such improved methods and corresponding user interface tools for allowing users to more easily and quickly navigate to future time periods in an EPG.